225177bk Finnish Songs 20/01/2004 04:27pm Page 1 DDD Toivo KUULA 8.225177 Leevi MADETOJA Finnish Songs Autumn • Ice Flowers • The Kiss Kirsi Tiihonen, Soprano Satu Salminen, Piano 225177bk Finnish Songs 20/01/2004 04:27pm Page 2 Toivo Kuula (1883-1918) • Leevi Madetoja (1887-1947) Finnish Solo Songs When Toivo Kuula met with a violent death in the factor linking these two composers is that both wrote aftermath of the Finnish Civil War in May 1918, he numerous folk-song arrangements. The choices of text became the tragic romantic hero of Finnish music. Born show his fervent patriotism. Over half of his songs are at Vaasa in 1883, he was a pupil of Nováãek, Wegelius settings of Eino Leino or V.A. Koskenniemi, great and Järnefelt at the Helsinki Music Institute, before Finnish poets of his time. Many of Kuula’s solo songs further study abroad in Bologna, Leipzig, Paris and, were first performed by his wife, Alma Kuula, a singer finally in 1911-12, in Berlin. During his years of and a source of inspiration. continuing study he had served as a teacher and Leevi Madetoja, four years younger than Kuula, conductor in Vaasa, and conducted the orchestra in also hailed from Ostrobothnia, and was born in 1887 in Oulu. In 1912 he became assistant conductor of the Oulu, where he completed his early studies in 1906. He Native Orchestra and from 1916 to 1918 held a similar continued his education at Helsinki University and as a position with the Helsinki Town Orchestra. His work as pupil of Sibelius at the Helsinki Music Institute. Further a composer was inevitably influenced by Sibelius, study followed in 1910 with Vincent d’Indy in Paris, drawing in particular on the folk-music of his native and the following year with Robert Fuchs in Vienna, region. It is in particular for his songs and vocal writing and in Berlin. In 1912 he became conductor of the that he is remembered. Kuula died at the early age of Helsinki Philharmonic Society Orchestra, and from 35, and was a full-blooded national romantic. His music 1914 to 1916 of the orchestra in Viipuri, where he also breathes the spirit of his own country, Ostrobothnia. taught at the orchestra school. In 1916 he began a Kuula left 24 solo songs for voice and piano. 23-year period on the teaching staff of the Music Typical features include a strong melodic flow and Institute, and wrote for many years as a music critic for Slavic pathos. Many songs are in a minor key and a the Helsingin sanomat. He remained a significant melancholy mood, such as Syystunnelma (Autumn figure in national romantic music, after Sibelius, and, Mood), Vanha syyslaulu (Old Autumn Song), Tuijotin like Kuula, drew on Ostrobothnian folk-music, but tulehen kauan (Long I stared into the fire) and Suutelo more influenced by contemporary French music than (The Kiss). It would be too simple, however, to claim the older composer. that Kuula was an ardent hothead whose songs embody Madetoja’s sixty-odd songs form a significant the rougher traditions of Ostrobothnia. Alongside local contribution to the history of Finnish solo songs. He passions, his songs also carry a quite different vein of lacks, however, the powerful, earthy qualities that make refined and nuanced sensuality, as in Sinipiika (Blue Kuula so popular, although his songs contain perhaps Maiden), Purjein kuutamolla (Sailing in the Moonlight) more surprises for the listener. His phrases are more or Jääkukkia (Ice Flowers), which comes close to complicated than Kuula’s, and their structure is less impressionism. unambiguous. In Kuula’s songs the piano often merely provides His Syksy (Autumn) remained the composer’s last an accompaniment. The piano texture has no significant song cycle. It was completed in 1930 and independence, as in the Central European Lieder consists of settings of poems by the composer’s wife, tradition. His piano writing is sonorous, with thick the poet L. Onerva. The title song, Syksy (Autumn), sets chords somewhat reminiscent of Brahms. Another a mood of farewell. Lähtö (The Departure) opens with 8.225177 2 225177bk Finnish Songs 20/01/2004 04:27pm Page 3 piano chords recalling the overtures of the operas The cycle ends with Ijät hyrskyjä päin (Ever against the Pohjalaisia (The Ostrobothnians) and Juha. Luulit ma Breakers), with its recitatives on a single note. katselin sua (You thought I was watching you) has a strongly chromatic, restless melody, as does Hyvää yötä (Good Night). Lintu sininen (Blue Bird) is austere Risto Nordell in melody but captivatingly intense in its expression. Translation Jaakko Mäntyjärvi / Diana Tullberg Kirsi Tiihonen In 1993 the Finnish soprano Kirsi Tiihonen finished her studies at the Sibelius Academy with Liisa Linko-Malmio. Since winning two national singing competitions (the Timo Mustakallio and the Lappeenranta), she has had many engagements with orchestras and choirs, given a number of recitals all over Finland and appeared on radio and television. She won First Prize in both the 1991 international Rio de Janeiro singing competition and the 1994 international Mirjam Helin competition. In 1995 she represented Finland in the Singer of the World competition in Cardiff, where of 300 contestants she was one of the few finalists and went on to win the prestigious Lied prize. Competition victories have brought Kirsi Tiihonen invitations to appear in Norway, Iceland, Poland, Hungary, the UK, Russia, the Netherlands, Italy, France and South Korea. She was engaged to appear with the Finnish National Opera from 1994 to 1996, during which time she sang Elisabeth in Don Carlos, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Leonora in Fidelio and Desdemona in Otello. In the following season she returned in the rôles of Helmwiege in Die Valküre and the Third Norn in Götterdämmerung at the Dutch National Opera. Her rôles also include the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, Odabella in Verdi’s Attila, Agathe in Der Freischütz and Elisabeth in Tannhäuser (Savonlinna Opera Festival 1997-98). In the period spanning 1998-2000 she took the rôles of Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes (Helsinki/Berlin), the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro (Frankfurt/Helsinki) and Senta in The Flying Dutchman (Frankfurt). Kirsi Tiihonen has also appeared as a soloist with orchestras in the major concert Halls of Europe, including the Philharmonie of St Petersburg (with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra), the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam with Ingo Metzmacher as conductor, the Royal Albert Hall, London as part of the BBC Proms, and the Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy. Among the works in her concert repertoire are Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été, Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem, Verdi’s Requiem, Britten’s Les illuminations, Dvofiák’s Stabat mater, Schubert’s Mass in A major, Sibelius’s The Maiden in the Tower and Luonnotar (The Daughter of Nature), and Sallinen’s Four Dream Songs. 3 8.225177 225177bk Finnish Songs 20/01/2004 04:27pm Page 4 Satu Salminen Finnish pianist Satu Salminen studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with Eero Heinonen and at the Ferenc Liszt Academy in Budapest with Istvan Lahtos. She has continued her studies in various materclasses with such pianists as Dmitri Bashkirov, Bella Davidovich, Ralf Gothoni and Alexei Lybimov. In 1991 Satu Salminen won Second Prize in the international Rio de Janeiro competition for accompanists and First Prize in the competition for duos in Lappajärvi, Finland. She has been working as a competition accompanist in both the Lappeenranta competition for singers and the international Mirjam Helin Competition. She has performed as a lied accompanist in Hungary, Poland and South Korea, and as a soloist with many different orchestras. She has participated in various television and radio broadcasts and teaches at the Sibelius Academy. She has been working with Kirsi Tiihonen since 1989. Toivo Kuula (1883-1918) • Leevi Madetoja (1887-1947) Finnische Sololieder Als Toivo Kuula in den Nachwehen des Finnischen kauan (Lang starrte ich ins Feuer) und Suutelo (Der Bürgerkriegs im Mai 1918 eines gewaltsamen Todes Kuss). Es wäre jedoch zu einfach, Kuula lediglich als starb, wurde er zum tragisch-romantischen Helden der hitzigen Heimatkämpfer zu bezeichnen, dessen Lieder finnischen Musik. Kuula wurde 1883 in Vaasa geboren; nur von den rauhen Traditionen der östrobottnischen er studierte bei Novácek, Wegelius und Järnefelt am Region handeln, denn neben lokalpatriotischen Musikinstitut in Helsinki, bevor er seine Ausbildung in Elementen besitzen seine Lieder auch eine feinfühlige, Bologna, Leipzig, Paris und 1911-12 in Berlin nuancierte Sensualität, die dem Impressionismus nahe fortsetzte. Bereits während seiner Studienzeit hatte er in kommt. Beispiele hierfür sind Sinipiika (Blaues Vaasa unterrichtet und dirigiert sowie in Oulu das Mädchen), Purjein kuutamolla (Segeln im Mondlicht) dortige Orchester geleitet. 1916-18 war er oder Jääkukkia (Eisblumen). Assistenzdirigent am Städtischen Orchester Helsinki. In Kuulas Liedern ist die Klavierstimme oft Als Komponist wurde er vor allem von Jean Sibelius lediglich Begleitung; sie hat im Gegensatz zur beeinflusst, wobei er sich hauptsächlich von der deutschen Liedtradition keine selbständige Funktion. Volksmusik seiner Heimatregion Östrobottnien Sein Klaviersatz ist vollgriffig mit teilweise an Brahms inspirieren ließ. In Erinnerung geblieben ist er in erster erinnernden dichten Akkorden. Ein weiteres Merkmal, Linie aufgrund seiner Vokalkompositionen. Kuula starb das an den deutschen Komponisten denken lässt, ist im frühen Alter von 35 Jahren. Er war ein vollblütiger Kuulas Vorliebe für Volksliedbearbeitungen. In seiner Nationalromantiker, dessen Musik die Atmosphäre Textwahl zeigt er sich als glühender Patriot: über die seiner Heimatregion widerspiegelt. Hälfte seiner Lieder sind Vertonungen von Texten der Kuula hinterließ 24 Klavierlieder. Zu den typischen großen zeitgenössischen finnischen Dichter Eino Leino Merkmalen seiner Musiksprache zählen die fließende oder V.A. Koskenniemi. Viele seiner Lieder wurden Melodik und ein slawisches Pathos. Viele Lieder stehen von seiner Frau Alma uraufgeführt, die für ihn nicht nur in Molltonarten und haben einen melancholischen Sängerin, sondern auch Inspirationsquelle war.